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magicandotherstuffienjoy · 17 days

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Why Explore the Planets of the Solar System?

As often happens, I find myself collecting visual references on Pinterest, and it’s these aesthetic inspirations that eventually guide my thematic explorations. One of the aesthetics that particularly fascinates me is that of celestial bodies and stars. Their mystery, distant beauty, and constant presence in the sky evoke something deeply moving. Naturally, I decided to explore a topic that has long inspired me: the planets.

These worlds, both close and inaccessible, each possess a unique visual identity and environment. Imagining what a day on a planet other than Earth might be is a way to escape and contemplate the infinite possibilities that the universe offers.

What is a Planet?

Before diving into the planets of the solar system, it’s important to understand what defines a planet. According to the definition established by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006, a celestial object must meet three key criteria to be classified as a planet:

It orbits a star – in our case, the Sun.

It has enough mass that its gravity allows it to assume a nearly spherical shape.

It has cleared its orbit of other debris or bodies of comparable size, meaning it dominates gravitationally within its orbital zone.

The planets of our solar system are divided into two major categories:

Terrestrial planets: Rocky planets like Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury.

Giant planets: Larger planets primarily composed of gas or ice, such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

The Solar System

The solar system is composed of eight main planets that orbit the Sun. These planets are generally classified based on their distance from the Sun, from Mercury, the closest, to Neptune, the farthest.

credit: Michael Camarra

Mercury

Mercury, the smallest planet in the solar system, is a rocky world whose surface is scarred by countless craters. Its proximity to the Sun creates extreme temperature fluctuations. During the day, surface temperatures can reach up to 430°C, while at night, they plunge to -180°C due to the near absence of an atmosphere to retain heat. Mercury completes an orbit around the Sun in just 88 Earth days, but a single day on Mercury lasts 59 Earth days.

Mercury: A Kingdom of Silence

If you woke up one morning on Mercury, you’d be immediately struck by the total absence of sound. Without an atmosphere to carry noise, this world is plunged into absolute silence, even under the Sun’s intense glare. The Sun, much larger than it appears on Earth, dominates the horizon with such power that you’d need full protection not to burn under its scorching rays. Yet, despite the relentless light, the sky remains black, scattered with stars, as there is no atmosphere to obscure their glow.

As the day progresses, the heat becomes unbearable. The ground beneath your feet reaches over 400°C, and though the air is almost non-existent, it offers no relief. On Mercury, a day lasts 59 Earth days, and the Sun doesn't set quickly. You remain under its blistering rays for weeks on end.

Surrounding you, the landscape is marked by deep craters, remnants of countless asteroid impacts, and steep cliffs, scars from past tectonic shifts. This world resembles the Moon, but much larger and more hostile. As the Sun slowly continues its course, you notice something strange: it appears to slow down, then briefly move backward in the sky before resuming its path. This retrograde motion is due to Mercury’s eccentric orbit, enhancing the strangeness of this silent realm.

Finally, after days spent under this oppressive heat, the Sun disappears beyond the horizon. Instantly, the temperature plummets. In just a few hours, you go from blistering heat to the icy cold of a Mercurian night, where the ground quickly cools to -180°C. The silence endures, and the stars shine as brightly as ever in the pitch-black sky.

The night, as endless as the day, takes hold. There’s no wind or movement, only a cold that seems eternal and an overwhelming silence. Mercury is a kingdom where time stretches out in extreme contrasts, between burning light and freezing darkness, a world suspended in the void and silence.

credit: totorrl

Venus

Venus, often called the "morning star" for its brightness in the sky, is the “twin sister” of Earth, due to its similar size and composition. With a diameter of approximately 12,000 km, it’s only slightly smaller than Earth. However, the comparison ends there, as Venus is an infernal world.

Its volcanic surface, dotted with mountains and plains of solidified lava, is hidden beneath a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, trapping heat in a runaway greenhouse effect. The result is a scorching surface temperature of 465°C, making Venus the hottest planet in the solar system. Sulfuric acid clouds cover the planet, producing acid rains that evaporate before they reach the surface. The pressure at its surface is 92 times that of Earth, comparable to being crushed beneath 900 meters of water.

A day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days, but its year is shorter, at 225 Earth days. Furthermore, the planet spins in the opposite direction to most others, causing the Sun to rise in the West and set in the East.

A Day on Venus: Eternal Hell

If you could spend a day on Venus, the experience would be nothing short of hellish. From the moment you woke up, you’d be plunged into an oppressive, toxic atmosphere, with no hope of seeing the Sun rise in the east as it does on Earth. Here, the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east because Venus spins in the opposite direction of most planets. However, you’d likely never have the patience to witness this sunrise: a day on Venus lasts 243 Earth days.

Looking up, you’d find yourself beneath a thick, opaque sky, completely hidden by clouds of sulfuric acid. There’s no blue sky or twinkling stars—just a constant orange glow bathing the planet. The air is thick with carbon dioxide, and any sulfuric acid rain evaporates before it ever hits the surface.

All around you, the landscape is barren and rocky, formed from solidified lava plains and towering volcanoes, some still active, belching toxic gases. At the surface, the heat is unbearable, reaching 465°C, hot enough to melt lead. This intense heat never relents: even when the Sun sets on the horizon, the temperature remains unchanged. Venus knows no respite, not even during its long night, which lasts more than 100 Earth days.

The atmospheric pressure is even more crushing. At 92 times that of Earth, it would instantly flatten any unprotected human, comparable to being submerged 900 meters underwater. Without advanced technology, you’d have no hope of surviving in this crushing inferno.

The silence is almost deafening. On Venus, there is no wind, no sound, as the dense atmosphere doesn’t carry sound as it does on Earth. You’d live in absolute, oppressive silence, on a planet where nothing familiar could survive.

Time would seem to drag endlessly. With days stretching out over months, you’d feel trapped in a world where the temperature never changes, and the daylight remains trapped beneath thick clouds, never fully illuminating the planet.

credit: Tpiola

Earth

Earth, our home planet, is the only one known to support life. It’s a terrestrial planet, just like Venus, with a solid surface made up of multiple layers: a crust, a semi-solid mantle, and an inner core of iron and nickel, surrounded by a liquid outer core. Its atmosphere, composed mainly of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, is thick enough to protect the planet from cosmic radiation and maintain a temperature suitable for life.

One of Earth's most unique features is the presence of liquid water oceans, which cover approximately 70% of its surface, earning it the nickname "the blue planet." This water plays a crucial role in sustaining life and regulating the climate. Earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours and orbits the Sun in 365.25 days, creating the alternation of seasons and day-night cycles that foster biological diversity.

credit: JasonChanArt

Mars

Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, is about half the size of Earth, with a diameter of 6,000 km. It’s a terrestrial planet with a crust, mantle, and core rich in iron and nickel. Its surface, composed mainly of rock and dust, gives it its characteristic reddish hue due to iron oxide (rust).

Mars’ thin atmosphere, primarily composed of carbon dioxide, doesn’t retain heat well, so temperatures can range from 20°C during the day to -125°C at night in the polar regions. Mars is home to geological giants like Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system (22 km high), and Valles Marineris, a canyon over 4,000 km long.

Though there’s no liquid water on the surface due to low atmospheric pressure, there’s significant evidence that water once flowed through rivers and oceans in the past. Today, water is mostly found as ice, particularly at the poles. A day on Mars lasts about 24.6 hours, while a Martian year spans 687 Earth days. Like Earth, Mars experiences seasons as well.

Credit : Artem Chebokha

Jupiter

Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is a gas giant primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. With a diameter of 143,000 km, Jupiter is so massive that it contains more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined. One of Jupiter’s most famous features is the Great Red Spot, a massive storm that has been raging for centuries. Unlike the rocky planets, Jupiter doesn’t have a solid surface; its thick atmosphere transitions into liquid as you go deeper, eventually reaching a dense core. A day on Jupiter is incredibly short, lasting just 10 Earth hours, but it takes about 12 Earth years to complete an orbit around the Sun.

Jupiter: Eternal Storms

Floating in Jupiter’s atmosphere would be an incomparable experience. Underneath swirling cloud bands, you would witness a spectacle of permanent storms sweeping across the planet at breakneck speeds. The most impressive, the Great Red Spot, is a storm so vast it could swallow two Earths whole. Jupiter’s gravity is immense: 2.5 times that of Earth. Due to the planet’s rapid rotation, the day would fly by in just 10 hours, yet those fleeting moments would be filled with powerful winds and giant lightning bolts, giving Jupiter its formidable and awe-inspiring character.

Credit: soulstorm brew

Saturn

Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system, is best known for its spectacular rings. Made mostly of hydrogen and helium, Saturn has a diameter of 120,000 km. Its iconic rings, composed of ice and rock, span hundreds of thousands of kilometers, yet they are remarkably thin. Like Jupiter, Saturn is a gas giant with no solid surface. A day on Saturn lasts 10.7 Earth hours, and the planet takes about 29.5 Earth years to orbit the Sun.

Saturn: Beneath Majestic Rings

If you could spend a day on Saturn, your gaze would constantly be drawn to its majestic rings, circling the planet like suspended jewels in space. These rings shimmer under the Sun’s faint light, offering a unique visual spectacle. The day would be brief, lasting just 10.7 hours, but every minute would be marked by strong air currents sweeping across the gas atmosphere. Although Saturn appears calm from a distance, its atmosphere is anything but peaceful, with massive storms occasionally erupting, reminding us that this giant is not as tranquil as it seems.

credit: hetti

Uranus

Uranus is an ice giant with a diameter of 51,000 km, best known for its unusual tilt: the planet is tipped over by 98 degrees, making it seem as though it “rolls” along its orbit. This extreme tilt means that each pole experiences 42 years of continuous daylight followed by 42 years of darkness. Uranus is composed of hydrogen, helium, and icy elements like water, ammonia, and methane, which give it its signature blue-green color. A day on Uranus lasts 17.25 hours, while a full orbit takes 84 Earth years.

Uranus: A Topsy-Turvy World

On Uranus, you would encounter a tilted world, where the Sun lingers perpetually over the horizon in certain regions, never setting for decades. The blue-green sky would cast a cold and diffuse light, while the average temperature of -224°C makes Uranus the coldest planet in the solar system. Strong winds exceeding 900 km/h would whip through methane clouds, adding to the surreal experience of this distant, cold planet. The stark contrast between its extreme tilt and frigid winds would make Uranus a world like no other.

credit: Ouroridae

Neptune

Neptune, the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun, is another ice giant, slightly smaller than Uranus, with a diameter of 49,000 km. Neptune is famous for its deep blue color, caused by methane in its atmosphere. The planet is home to the fastest winds in the solar system, reaching speeds of over 2,100 km/h. A day on Neptune lasts about 16 Earth hours, and its orbit around the Sun takes approximately 165 Earth years.

Neptune: The Realm of Winds

Spending a day on Neptune would mean experiencing violent winds and massive storms. The deep blue sky would create an environment that’s both mesmerizing and menacing, with whirling clouds spinning at unmatched speeds. The Sun, viewed from Neptune, would be just a distant point of light, barely warming the icy planet, where temperatures plunge to -214°C. With massive storms like the Great Dark Spot swirling around, you’d be surrounded by howling winds in a realm ruled by tempests.

Conclusion

Each planet in the solar system offers a unique and fascinating experience, from Mercury's kingdom of silence to Jupiter’s eternal storms, Saturn’s majestic rings, and Neptune’s realm of winds. Though these worlds are inhospitable to life as we know it, they are jewels of the cosmos, each offering a different perspective on the diversity and wonders of our solar system.

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iconoclast-infidels · 2 months

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Trayson Lear Contini | Snow Leopard Shifter | Bohemian Mobster | Michael Pitt

OG play:

Tray was tricked into signing a contract for his soul to the demon president Caim and now is under his control along with the rest of his family after Caim bartered for the vampire clan from Ba’al in a demon soul trade. The most important thing to the demon was the damnation of their immortal souls as they chose immortality as vampires in exchange for power. Tray has never, and could not ever, even if he wanted to, betray his family now. He is bound. He’s the only male in the coven who’s not a vampire. Tray signed his soul contract in return for his mother’s life long safety. The rest is history.

HISTORY

Tray is an adopted son of the Contini crime family. They are of the Camorra Clan of Naples that dates back to the 18th century, a Sicilian Mafia. Tray grew up in Naples as a child, but Tray never knew he was adopted until he was 12 years old when he overheard his family arguing over the damage “that boy” was going to cause the “real family” and he was never the same since. It was a heavy load to bear and not the most tactful way to hear something that could affect someone so deeply. As a hard-headed youth and a shifter he was often rebelling running around in animal form and getting caught. Eye witnesses of large cats in Europe isn’t exactly normal and could bring lots of attention. That was the last thing these crime bosses needed to bring to their operations.

The Camorra Clans monopolize the fish and milk industries, control the coffee trade, and well over 2,500 bakeries. It is the second largest Italian Trade Organization. They also have alliances with the Algerian mafia and Nigerian drug lords. Cocaine trafficking is a trade for selling woman into sex slavery across all of Europe. The clan is by no means small or to be messed with. He wasn’t hard-headed for no reason. He was taught by some of the very best of the dangerous. It would seem a family like this would have no trouble grooming the son into the family and keeping his shifter identity protected or even make use of it. But, it wasn’t that simple. For it was the reason he was an adopted son that often came in the middle of his mother and father. The day he overheard he was adopted, he also heard something even more shocking. It was his father that “disposed” of his biological family. Tray’s real family fell victim to the political killings. The Camarra Clan started to gain politicians by controlling voters back in 1912 and still happens some to this day. Anyone who did not vote as instructed were kidnapped, slashed by knives, or beaten. Tray’s family was stabbed and beaten to death for going against threats and voting as they pleased. It seemed hard-headed rebellion ran thick in his blood to begin with. It was his adopted father’s mistake that he brought Tray home with him.

After the beating Mr. Contini decided to steal their car while he was at it to sell for scrap and rid evidence. What he didn’t realize during his hasty get-a-way was Tray was still strapped in the car seat behind him fast asleep. Then worse, his wife showed up at the scrap yard for a surprise visit as he pulled in with this child. Needless to say Tray’s mother ended up shoved to the ground and put in her place for showing up there in the first place. The wives were rarely allowed near business. They were kept out of the loop to be sure of their innocence and protection if a man were ever caught. This is also something deeply ingrained in Tray. Protection of a spouse or family is number one priority for a man. On this Tray won’t waver to this day. But, it was Tray’s mother’s lesson learned showing up that day that saved his life. She wasn’t going to stand for the child to be cast aside or worse, killed. Poor Mr. Contini’s heart could do little but allow for his wife to keep him, drawing up fake adoption papers, and making the whole thing legally legit as only the mafia could. That is the true story of how Tray became part of such high profile Sicilian crime family. What Tray doesn’t know to this day is that his biological family were Kyrgyz Republican immigrants (where some snow leopards are from) to Italy from Central Asia, close to China’s borders. That’s a missing part of Tray. His parents worked the fishing trade the Contini’s were trying to control. He’s instinctively drawn to those influences but has never been there. After knowing what his father did to his original family Tray was conflicted from then on out. His current family was all he knew and loved, but this planted a bad seed, a chip on his shoulder he couldn’t let go of. As he got older his father tried in induct him into the family business and put him to work in a scrap yard where all the mechanics of the family worked restoring cars and junking them out for parts. The vehicles collected were often part of the system to rid evidence and Tray knew it. He knew this was also a part of his own story and that made it increasingly more difficult to be a part of that sect. Tray became a professional at pushing down feelings for survival. One did not want to be a traitor to this particular family.

He started to gain some knowledge for vehicles and had a good eye for a well oiled machine, but it just was NOT his passion. He soon started to mess around with the spare parts and metal scrap. He put a few pieces together and welded them to make his family laugh at a small sculpture he’d made, making two stick figures. It was supposed to be the representation of his cousins doing something rather lewd poking fun at them getting caught making out at the last family affair. It was a sarcastic hit. But, once he made that, he started to make others only with a more artistic intent. This became his passion. He started to slack off the job using his time there finding parts and pieces to weld larger scale sculptures. The family thought it was a waste of time and were often on his case. It was around this time his father decided he wanted to use Tray as a weapon against the other crime families. The Contini’s tried to have Tray was running off well so they wouldn’t have a chance. He started to get spotted again, as usual. He’d made the news on more than one occasion. There’s even a website devoted to spotting the big cats of Britain. But, it was in August of 2008 that his family cracked down on him. He was going to start making use of his shifter abilities for more low down and dirty dealings within the clan. Tray started to become the muscle behind many family threats. He hated it knowing he was a part of the system that took his own parents out. But he did it. He cooperated willingly but his father knew the chip on his shoulder was still there.

Eventually Tray made a decision for himself. He left Naples. He left the family. He moved to America.

He had money coming from such a large family, but he was cut from further distributions. He set himself up with what he had though. He bought a small ranch and 180 acres of land (mostly forest) just outside the city. Also on this land is his giant garage-styled warehouse where he welds his sculptures which is right next to his scrap yard, simply called Tray’s. He even had a supernatural shifter racing track people gambled on. Tray’s mother has since defied the family and found a way to contact her missed and beloved son. He tries to refuse to talk to her because he’s worried if the family finds out she’s doing this secretly that she’ll be reprimanded for it. She found him through his web sites advertising his work. Tray no longer advertises himself and tries his best to sell to independent collectors all to keep his mother safe. His refusal to speak to her hurts her to the core. But, what neither realized is Tray was never lost to the family. The Contini family has always kept watch over him. They really aren’t about to let someone who knows their secrets free. The only reason he’s been spared is by his father’s stayed hand for his mother’s sake. Tray soon found out though, as his artwork started to get more popular his father is going to show back up, wanting to use his soon to be American citizenship for their own purposes. His father showed back up to re-induct him into a system he doesn’t really want to be a part of.

That's how it all started anyway. Now, he's a demon's pet.

Usual NPC's used for Tray's family

The Contini Clan - Vampire Mobsters - SICILIAN VAMPIRE COVEN - Men = Vampires / Woman = Humans + One Snow Leopard Shifter

Rosalie Contini - Tray’s Mother - Mob Wife - Human - Michelle Pfeiffer

Santino Contini - Tray’s Father - Don Vampire - Al Pacino

Enzo Contini - Tray’s Uncle - Under Boss Vampire - Robert De Niro

Carlo Contini - Tray’s Cousin - Capodecima Vampire / Contracted Power - Keanu Reeves

Salvatore Contini - Tray’s Cousin - Consigliere Vampire - Cillian Murphy

#bio

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